Something that I did last year while writing for a former employer was breaking down the first round prospects in the 2010 NFL Draft and whether or not they would fit into the Texans' plans. Long story short, I did over 20 previews…and Kareem Jackson wasn’t one of them. But we’ve been over that.
So I've decided to bring this feature back and will keep it going up until the draft in seven and a half weeks. I’ll focus primarily on first rounders that have at least a chance to be on the board at #11 when Houston picks. I may even get into second rounders, where your Texans have the 41st overall pick. But let’s start it up today with Nebraska standout Prince Amukamara.
I admittedly didn’t watch too much college ball this year, so this is all going off of scouting reports and game footage. But what I’ve seen of Amukamara (say that five times fast), he would certainly be an upgrade…like that’s hard to do in this secondary.
Standing 6’1" and weighing in at 205 lbs, he has the frame to play corner in the NFL for sure. He ran a 4.38 in the 40 at the Combine and had a vertical of 38.0 inches.
Despite not picking off a pass in 2010 for the Huskers, his lockdown ability is undeniable. He was targeted 53 times and only 18 passes were completed against him, a stat which helped him earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Aside from Patrick Peterson, Prince is considered the top prospect at his position headed into April. Which begs the question, will he be available at #11 when Houston goes on the clock? It’s possible. Many mock drafts I’ve seen thus far have had him available and ultimately going to Houston with said pick.
He would certainly fit here, and many scouts believe he is NFL-ready from Day One. Should the Kareem Jackson experiment make the Texans war room hesitant to take another first round corner with the plan to start him immediately? Part of me still believes they learned their lesson last year and realize that they need a veteran presence or two in the secondary and not another rookie. The other part of me believes they won’t be able to pass on a talent like Amukamara should he fall in their laps. Not to mention a tiny part of me that still thinks they don’t plan on being very active in free agency.
There was talk of Amukamara’s stock falling and possibly even into the 20s, but a strong showing at the Combine has many scouts listing him as a top 10 lock. It really depends on the QBs. If someone reaches for Mallet, Locker and/or Cam Newton, then the selection should look good here. Check out his highlights below.
What do you guys think? Would you like to see Prince sporting Steel Blue on Sundays in 2011?